Special places: War

A map of massacres

Colonial frontier massacres in eastern Australia 1788–1872 is an online map that plots the sites where massacres are known to have been perpetrated.

From the moment the British invaded Australia in 1788 they encountered active resistance from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners and custodians of the lands. In the frontier wars which continued until the 1960s mas­sacres became a defining strategy to eradicate that res­ist­ance. As a result thousands of Aboriginal men women and children were killed. This site presents a map, timelines, and information about massacres in Eastern Australia from 1794 when the first massacre was recorded until 1872. Only events for which sufficient information remains from the past and can be verified are included. The map also includes information about the six known massacres of British colonists in Eastern Australia in the same period.—​from the introduction to the website

This site comes with a warning that it contains information about acts of violence that may be distressing. Yes, the in­form­a­tion is distressing​—​but necessary.

Jackie Chan at the Old Museum

I don’t watch many martial arts action films, but this segment on YouTube caught my attention. It is set in the Old Museum Bu­il­ding in Brisbane, and uses the spaces of the exhibition hall for some exciting action. The exhibition hall was built in 1891, and was the home of the Queensland Museum from 1899 until 1986. I am doing some work on the building at the moment, which adds to my interest.»more»

Redcliffe remembers the war years 1939-1949

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Redcliffe is a coastal town north of Brisbane. In this website the local public library presents short spoken recollections by 17 residents. It evokes the life of a small town and its rural hinterland, affected by the Second World War,

Chechen diary

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Photographer James Hill’s record of the war in Chechnya. He presents a slide show with audio commentary. The stories are about people’s experience of the conflict, but their setting is always a strong element in the pictures.

Modern ruins

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Phillip Buehler’s dossier of ruined ships, railway stations, stadiums, hospitals, Worlds Fair sites, U-boat bunkers and other remarkable places. The author has a sharp eye​—​look at the other sections of his site too (linked from the home page).

reCyclorama

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For a Gettysburg sequel (see July 2000 below), reCyclorama presents a campaign to save architect Richard Neutra’s 1961 visitor centre at Gettysburg National Military Park. The building houses Paul Philippoteaux’s 1883 cyclorama painting of the Battle of Gettysburg.

This web site argues against plans to demolish the building and ‘restore’ the battlefield landscape. See pictures of this important modern building, read news of the conservation campaign and background pieces about 1960s park visitor centres. Pan around the huge circular battle painting with QuickTime VR.

Gettysburg battlefield

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On 3 July 2000 a tourist lookout tower next to the Civil War battlefield at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania was demolished with explosives. The tower, privately built in 1974, was regarded as an eyesore and provoked a public campaign. A federal court decision allowed the US government to take over the tower and remove it from the landscape. This cnn.com news report includes links to other web sites, and even a video of the tower coming down.

Castle Tioram

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A statement of cultural significance for a site in the Scottish Highlands. It’s linked to a set of other conservation planning documents. A fascinating place, and an example of log­i­cal investigation and argument about how to conserve it. The authors acknowledge the influence of Australian conservation thinking, particularly the Illustrated Burra Charter. Bless them.

Hanford Site Historic District

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Hanford (near Richland, Washington, USA) .. was established in secrecy during the Second World War to produce plutonium for America’s nuclear weapons. Peak production years were reached in the 1960s when 9 production reactors were in operation at the Site. All weapons material production was halted in the late 1980s and the Site is now engaged in the world’s largest environmental cleanup project. Hanford is also the subject of a project (well documented on this web site) to conserve and interpret its historic significance.